University of Florida, Gainesville Department of Linguistics, 4131 Turlington Hall IDS 2935 Linguistic Prejudice Section 2SW2 Class Number 25727 Gen Ed S, D, Quest 2 MWF 4th period (10:40-11:30am) Fall 2021 CBD 220 Instructor Professor Caroline Wiltshire Turlington 4123 E-mail:[email protected] Phone: 294-7448 Web site: http://www.clas.ufl.edu/users/wiltshir/ Student/Office Hours: Tuesdays 3:00-4:15pm (in office or Zoom) & Thursday 3:30-4:45pm (Zoom only) Zoom link: https://ufl.zoom.us/j/93275263030?pwd=Q3RYaTYzcE5FeDI0am10MFI5TGRFdz09 or Meeting ID: 932 7526 3030 and Passcode: 336624 I’m also available by appointment at other times; to ask questions or make an appointment: please email me directly at [email protected] anytime I. Course Information Course Description This course addresses the pressing question “what we can do to mitigate the effects of Linguistic Prejudice?” To do so, students will first explore what linguistic prejudice is and who it affects. Linguistic Prejudice is directed against people who speak with a “nonstandard” accent or grammar and is used to discriminate against groups based on race, ethnicity, gender identity/orientation, geographic location, linguistic background, and socio-economic status. This course explores the relationships between language varieties and prejudice and their real-world consequences, such as discrimination in education, housing, careers, healthcare, interactions with the justice system, etc. Readings on research and methodologies from linguistics, sociology, and psychology provide students with the terms and tools to describe, analyze, and respond to linguistic prejudice. We will examine the prevalence of linguistic prejudice and its impacts, reflect on our own beliefs and behaviors, interview others about their attitudes, and work together to develop potential techniques to reduce the pervasiveness of linguistic prejudice and mitigate its effects. E-learning site: https://elearning.ufl.edu/ Find IDS2935 Linguistic Prejudice 1 II. Coursework & Schedule 1. Required Course Materials (to purchase/rent) Lippi-Green, Rosina. 2012. English with an Accent. (2nd edition) London/NY: Routledge. [Supplemental Readings are all available in Canvas for free; see detailed course schedule for complete list.] 2. List of Graded Work Assignment Description Points Attendance will be taken daily and recorded in Canvas. You are allowed 3 Attendance “personal days” for the semester, after which each absence that does not meet 60 university criteria for “excused” results in a 2‐point deduction. Each exercise requires you to reflect on your own attitudes toward non‐ standard language or accents; some also require gathering information from 200 Exercises (5) other people and comparing their responses. Due in the evenings, they form (@40) the basis for a discussion in class the next day (250‐300 words, 1‐2 pages) Each test will be one class period, the first covering Weeks 1‐4 and the second 260 Tests (2) covering weeks 5‐10. Each will be composed of definitions, T/F, multiple choice (120+140) questions, short answer or matching, and a short essay. In the list of supplementary articles, 5 are marked RR; choose 2 of these to write Reading Responses on, due by midnight the day before we discuss the Reading 120 Responses article. Responses should be about 2 pages (500‐600 words), and a) summarize (2) the main point(s) b) discuss how it relates to material in the textbook or from (@60) class & c) provide reactions to the article (both personal and professional). You are expected to use the terminology from the class to discuss the article. You will find and document two examples of linguistic prejudice in the wild. These can be video/audio clips, articles from written media (newspapers, Discovering blogs), or a narrative video describing a personal experience. Examples should 80 Examples (2) be posted to a discussion board on Canvas, one by Oct 1, the other by Nov 12. (@40) Each should be accompanied by a short (50‐100 words) statement of how the example illustrates linguistic prejudice as discussed in the course. Groups of 2‐3 students will identify a set of speakers targeted by linguistic prejudice & some documented negative outcome of linguistic discrimination Group and propose steps towards mitigation. [I will provide a list of possible topics; Project you can request your preferred topics and I’ll organize groups or you may 80 Presentation propose your own topics/groups, with my approval]. Submit requests or proposed groups by Nov. 15nd. We have in‐class prep time Nov 22nd & 29th, and group presentations (15‐20 minutes) in the final two weeks (Dec 1st‐Dec. 6th). Each student will individually write up an expanded version of their group project providing (a) the background on a documented prejudice and/or Final project discrimination towards some set of speakers (b) a proposal for reduction of 200 paper prejudice or mitigation of its discriminatory effects and (c) a discussion of the relationship of the proposal to other proposals for mitigations and their ethical bases (9‐12 pages, 2200‐3000 words) 2 3. Weekly Course Schedule Week Topic/Assignment Work Activity Date (Question/Subject) Due Week 1 Topic Introduction, Why & How Does Language Vary? An introduction to Linguistic Prejudice: what it is and why it matters, Aug 23‐27 Summary followed by an Introduction to some basic findings of the discipline of linguistics in understanding why and how languages and dialects vary. Required Lippi‐Green Introduction (pp. 1‐4) and Chapter 1 “The Linguistic facts Readings of life” (pp. 5‐26) Assignment Exercise #1: Ask four people … (one page, 250‐300 words). 8/26 Week 2 Topic Who has an Accent? Are some accents better than others? Provide description of accents and other variations in dialects based on race, ethnicity, geographical origin, linguistic background, gender & Aug 30 – Summary orientation; introduce terminology from linguistics for documentation Sep 3 and categorization of linguistic differences, and increase awareness of students’ own accent and dialect features. Required Lippi‐Green Ch 3 “The myth of non‐accent” (pp. 44‐54) and Ch. 4 “The Readings standard language myth” (pp. 55‐65) Assignment Exercise #2: What accents do you … (1 page, 250‐300 words) 9/2 Week 3 Topic Where does Linguistic Prejudice come from? Explore sources of linguistic prejudice, including the “Standard Sept 8‐10 Summary Language Myth” supported by the educational system and media, to [Mon off] understand some of its causes in both individuals and society Required Lippi‐Green Ch. 6 “The educational system” (pp. 78‐100) and Ch. 7 Readings “Teaching Children How to Discriminate” (pp. 101‐129) Assignment Exercise #3: your own linguistic history… (one page, 250‐300 words). 9/9 Week 4 Topic How do we document (linguistic) prejudice? Preliminaries to the examinations of linguistics prejudice towards various groups. Introduce psychological, linguistic & sociological Sep 13‐17 Summary methods of documenting linguistic prejudice through articles explaining and evaluating methodologies including implicit attitude measures, sociolinguistic interviews, and language attitude studies. Strangor (2009) “The Study of Stereotyping, Prejudice, and Required Discrimination Within Social Psychology”, (1‐13); Becker (2018) “The Readings Sociolinguistic Interview” (99‐107); Kibler (2018) “Language Attitude Surveys” (144‐147); Clopper (2018) “Experiments” (154‐162) Assignment Exercise #4: Implicit Attitude Test …(one page, 250‐300 words). 9/16 Week 5 Topic Who is affected by linguistic prejudice? Racial/Ethnic groups After Test 1 (Monday), we discuss categorizations we will use in weeks 5‐10, including the question of what “race” and “ethnicity” are, and Sep 20‐24 Summary how they are socially and linguistically constructed. Begin to examine research on prejudicial attitudes towards African Americans’ speech Smedley & Smedley (2005) “Race as biology is fiction, racism as a Required social problem is real.” (16‐26); Lippi‐Green Ch.10 “The real trouble Readings with Black language” (182‐196) Assignment Test 1 9/20 Week 6 Topic Who is affected by linguistic prejudice? Race/Ethnicity Sep 27‐ Continue with research documenting prejudicial attitudes towards the Summary Oct 1 speech of African‐Americans and Hispanic Americans 3 Week Topic/Assignment Work Activity Date (Question/Subject) Due Required Lippi‐Green Ch.10 “The real trouble with Black language” (196‐213) Readings and Ch. 14 “¡Ya basta!” (pp. 255‐280) Assignment First Discovered Example due by Friday 10/1 Week 7 Topic Who is affected by linguistic prejudice? Race/Ethnicity Continue with research documenting prejudicial attitudes towards the Oct 4‐6 Summary speech of Asian Americans Lippi‐Green Ch. 15 “The unassimilable races: what it means to be Required [Fri off] Asian” (281‐303); Lo (2016) “Suddenly Faced with a Chinese Village: Readings the Linguistic Racialization of Asian Americans” (97‐112) [RR] Optional Newman & Wu (2011: 152‐178, Asian) Assignment (Optional RR to Lo (2016): 500‐600 words)) (10/6) Week 8 Topic Who is affected by linguistic prejudice? Geographic origins in the US Examine and discuss research documenting prejudicial attitudes Oct 11‐15 Summary towards the speech of Americans based on geographic origins such as rural vs. urban or Southern vs Northern Lippi‐Green Ch. 11 “Hillbillies, Hicks, and Southern Belles” (214‐234) Required Kinzler & DeJesus (2013) “Northern=smart and Southern=nice” (pp. Readings 1146‐1158) [RR] Optional Luhman (1990: 331‐348, Appalachian) Assignment (Optional